The Mage and The Mercenary
by ectojace195
Summary: Sets place after Negi and the others return from the magical world but in an alternated universe. Negi and the class tries to go on with life the way it use to be but at Mahora things tend to stray from any sense of normalcy. Negi is cursed by accident and Mana is found without a dorm room. Both of them find a special surprise on the school grounds that bring them together.
1. Chapter 1

Sets place after Negi and the others return from the magical world but in an alternated universe. Negi and the class tries to go on with life the way it use to be but at Mahora things tend to stray from any sense of normalcy. Negi is cursed by accident and Mana is found without a dorm room. Both of them find a special surprise on the school grounds that bring them together. Read and I hope you enjoy,

I do not own Negima, or its characters,

We start off in the forests Surrounding Mahora academy…

It was night, the woods were silent so far, and the only sound to be made was the winds blowing through the trees. The moon was at its crescent allowing only minimal light, it was enough light for her to see. She wore a hood as she sprinted through the tree tops carrying a tiny bundle in her arms which she held to with dear life. The unknown woman looked back to see dozens of shadows passing through the brush, she was being chased. The pursuers stayed to the shadows, and slowly they were gaining on their pray.

The woman clung to the parcel tighter leaving a trail of tears behind her, she was growing exhausted to the point she couldn't continue on. In her weary state she missed a branch and ended up falling to the forest floor. Halfway in plummeting she rolled over on her back to cushion her package.

She landed hard, her back smashing through numerous limbs as she fell left her paralyzed, her body frozen, still clinging to the bundle with what life she had left in her. She lay aching in the dirt, too weak to move, and to hurt to even cry, All she could do was look up to the crescent moon above and wait. It didn't take long for whom she was waiting for to appear looming over her.

"You stupid girl," mocked a second feminine figure. She stood with the moon to her back hiding her face. "Here you saved us the trouble by mangling your pathetic form yourself."

She taunted the injured woman as circled her, "I told you," she hissed, "if you just given what we wanted then we would've just killed you quickly and saved you from the hours of annoying torturing my friends had planned." The shadows jump throughout darkness at their mention.

The wounded girl looked up at her foe, tears flowing from under her crimson eyes she choked out, "Y-you'll n-never-," she stopped and cringed in pain.

The other girl let out a devious little snicker as she bent down clutching the Purple cloth surrounding the package, "You no longer have a choice." She gloted before ripping the cloth open only to find- "A fake?!" wrapped in its sheets was a wooden idol of a raccoon dog with a sign taped down the center reading "Fooled you!"

Hatefully the second girl through the statue against a tree trunk causing both tree trunk and idol to shatter into splinters. "Do you think I'm playing here, you little bitch?" She grabbed the crying girls color and shaking her she screamed. "Where is it?"

The flow of tears came to a stop as the injured girl smiled, taking one last breath she sighed out, "Safe…," her eye slowly closed as her body went cold, she was gone.

The remaining girl rose clutching her fist, the hordes of shadows swarming around her, "Silence," she exclaimed, "Do you think I am blind, of course we don't have it yet!" The shadows kept leaping to dark spot to dark spot, not once revealing their form or even uttering anything that could pass as a voice.

The now enraged girl stomped her foot bringing the forest back to stillness and commanding the attention of her underlings. "Listen up, you will not rest, you will not eat until we have what we had come for. If I find any of you slacking I will make sure myself that all of you will die by my hand, do you understand? Even if we have to tear this school apart, we will find it!"

A chorus of shrieking filled the air as the shadows danced around her forming a dark vortex. In the midst of the moon light the vile girl looked down on her fallen pray and glared, a gleam of light bouncing off her gold eyes. "You were lucky," she growled, "the next one won't be." In a gust of wind the forest went silent, the unknown girl and her army of shadows blown away leaving the body of the crimson eyed girl behind.

"Huh?" back at Mahora academy in the dorms, several students awaken to the sensation of ominous force, Grabbing her gun from under her Pillow a Tan beauty walked to the window.

"…," Her bunk mate popped her head from the shadows. A white haired girl with teardrop tattooed on her cheek.

"Go back to bed Zazie," Mana commanded, "it's nothing." She waited for the girl to climb back under the covers until she herself crawled back into bed while clutching her gun the entire time.

"_A fight is coming_," she thought as she slid her pistol back under her pillow, "_I hope they're ready_." She grinned confidently as she slowly closed her eyes, the last thing she saw before drifting to sleep was the small arsenal she had fastened just underneath her roommates bunk. A rifle, two machine guns, to hand guns with extra ammo, and last but not least a set of grenades, hanging tightly over her head, and of course both Mana and Zazie were able to sleep peacefully with such explosive force between them.

Just down the hall a young wizard stood watching from the dorm, the son of the Thousand Master himself was also waiting, a staff in hand as he stood peering out the window. "What's out there?" He thought to himself, the grip on his staff grew tighter as he looked over to his friends sleeping peacefully. Konoka slept quietly as above her bunk Asuna snored with the white ermine unknowingly slept over her eyes.

"I can't let them know, they've been through too much as it is," he whispered as he turned back toward the couch, "if I have to I will handle this, I won't let any harm come to my friends..

-The next morning-

The class of 3-A was back in session, the now eleven year old Wizard and Professor was busy at the chalkboard while his students sat and watched the pintsize teacher at work. By that time everyone in the class knew of Negi's secret, some of the girls found it more charming, but one looked at it as a way to entertain herself.

"Asuna…you shouldn't be doing that," warned Konoka, "you need to pay more attention to school work before you try and mess with magic." She told the red-haired girl sitting next to her with bells in her hair.

Asuna wasn't paying attention at all as usual fiddling with some of Negi's potions behind her textbook. "It's just a simple spell, it's not like I'm building a bomb that will wipe out half of the school, it's just an age deceiving spell, we've used them plenty of times."

In the back of the room Evangeline began to stir from her cat nap just in time to see Asuna's antics. "What is she doing?" She asked herself, the blonde vampire then noticed her mixing different colored liquids in a glass beaker. Her eye caught on to a small piece of parchment with 'Age manipulation' scratched in red. Just as Asuna began to mix the final ingredient into the concoction, the vampire reached out exclaiming loudly, "No, not that one!"

It was too late, the beaker started to bubble and shake violently. Negi turned to see the bubbling brew in front of Asuna, his jaw dropped, "Asuna!" He exclaimed charging the desk. The vile started to glow as Negi neared, he jumped onto the table screaming, "everyone, get down!" Negi slid of the table just as the jar exploded covering the tiny Englishmen in a cloud of purple smoke. The cloud cleared as fast as it came, but what was left in its place left the class room speechless.

"What-," he stopped clinching his throat at the sound of his voice, his raspy squeak of a tone had dropped to a more mellow tone, "-happened?" he exclaimed. Standing there was a now teenage Negi Springfield.

The class stood and stared in bewilderment, Negi had not just grown in size but it seemed that he looked older as well. His Hair was longer and his once child-size suite hanging onto his form in scraps of torn material. His shirt split up the back and his pants were in shreds. Besides the obvious change in size, Negi's looks had matured. He looked like his father, almost the spitting image of Nagi Springfield with somewhat of an age gap in between them.

Still in shock, the professor didn't even pay attention to the blushing faces fixed on his new bod, nor did he see the cause of his new appearance looking up at him. "Negi…?" Asuna pulled closer to him, face flushed she was in disbelief that the hunk before her was shrimpy Negi.

Negi looked down on her from his new stature, concern showing he asked, "Asuna, what have you done?"

Asuna's face went blank as she felt all eyes shift over to her, "What…?"

"Idiot," yelled Evangeline slamming her fist on her desk, "that potion you just made is a permanent age manipulation curse. Negi will be no longer be able to return to his eleven year old body."

"WHAT?" The class yelled in unison.

Asuna held out her arm, "Negi…I'm so sorry," she tried to rest her hand on his shoulder attempting to comfort him, Negi just stumbled backwards avoiding her touch.

"It's okay…I'm just…I'll be right back." Negi slumped out of the room trying to pull the tattered remains of his cloths over his most private parts.

The class remained silent until he was out of ear shot. "You've done it now, Asuna," Said Makie blushing.

From the other side of the room one of the cheerleaders spoke up grinning mischievously, "It might not be as bad as it appears, think about it," Misa's face grew redder, "he is _our_ age now." No doubt dirty thoughts were running through her mind.

"Kakizaki!" yelled Chisame.

The purple haired cheerleader rose from her seat and pointed at the hacker. "Honestly, how many of you had to hold back because of the age difference? Now's our chance to snag an English hottie with an older body!"

"She has a point," said the redhead in front of the class.

Sayo looked stunned, "You too, Kazumi?"

The reporter smiled wickedly with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Hey, I'm just agreeing with her, the boy has it going on, and now none of us will be considered pedophiles," she looked over across the aisle, "sucks to be you, class rep."

Ayaka stood in a daze, her eyes kept glued to the door, face flushed. "Negi…he's so beautiful," she was totally ignorant of the world around her.

"Maybe it really didn't have to do with an age thing after all," the reporter laughed nervously, "no more cradle robbing jokes."

Asuna ignored her classmates, looking down at the shattered remains of her failed experiment she felt overwhelmingly guilty. She plopped down into her seat trying to think of a way she could help the young mage while her class went on talking about the positives of Negi's transformation. And Ayaka still was staring at the door like a love sick drone.


	2. Chapter 2

Negi had made his way to the Dean's office with what's left of his clothing hanging on his new teenage body. Easy to say that the Dean and one of Negi's oldest friends were a bit stunned seeing the boy's…condition.

"This is a predicament," Said Professor Takahata, he had heard Negi's side of the story and at the moment was trying hard not to laugh at the once child prodigy, "and you say Asuna was the way who made the potion?"

The Dean Laughed behind his desk, "Amazing, I never thought she had it in her."

Negi face palmed, "That's not the point, how the heck do I turn back?"

"That's just it, we're not sure how to do that," The white haired professor said scratching his head, like it was that much of a concern.

"What?!" Negi exclaimed, eyes bulging.

Takahata chuckled under his breath before calmly stating. "Age manipulation spells had been outlawed centuries ago due the growing number of mages that wished to be young forever. Authorities made it where the only age manipulating would be by pills and only for a limited time. And to make sure they could not attempt to go against their laws, the mages in charged collected all know spells regarding to permanent age manipulation and destroyed them."

Negi blinked, still in shock he dropped to his knees whimpering, "So…I'm stuck like this?"

"We can attempt to make an antidote but it will take some time, until then I say embrace it," the suave professor tugged at the shredded remains of his trademark green suit, "but first you might want to get some new clothes."

Negi was on the verge of tears, "What else could go wrong today?"

"Well…," The dean started nervously, "I hate to bring this up but at the moment you are still living with Asuna and Konoka, it's not a subject of gender but I don't think the dorm would be big enough for the three of you. We have an available room ready for you in the same wing if you'd like, it had been empty for quite some time but with your relationship with the girls we thought it would be okay if you stayed with them. Now with your increase in size I think you're going to need more space to yourself, only until we get the antidote formed."

"Asuna's not in trouble for the age manipulation spell is she?" Negi asked fretting over partner and friend, even after what she did to him the mage still remained loyal to his friend.

"No, she didn't know what she was doing and it's not like we expect her to do it again." For once Takahata showed some compassion as he placed a hand on the young wizards shoulder, "Don't worry, Negi, everything will be okay, I'll see to the class and explain it to them while you just take the rest of the day to yourself and maybe go shopping for a suit in a bigger size."

Negi looked down at his tattered ensemble and sighed in defeat, just as he was about to turn towards the door, Negi stopped as he remembered, "Oh, um…,"

"Yes, son, what is it?" asked the old man.

The boy looked seriously at him. "Last night I felt a dark presence coming from the forest, I've been meaning to report it to you.

"Oh that, we have the staff looking into it," the dean waved him on, "it's nothing to be concerned about, now you might want to go now because passing period is just minutes away. You don't want any of the girls seeing you like that do you?"

Negi could tell by the old man's tone that he was just joking, but he knew with his luck that he didn't want to chance it. Negi burst through the door and out of the building leaving a cloud of dust behind him. The two older men sat laughing at the site of older Negi running away in panic.

As the door slowly swung shut Takahata's expression changed, him and the Dean were both in unease. The professor took a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it, the tip glowed bright as he breathed in, "Another body was found this morning," the Professor sighed letting a puff of smoke escape his lips, "Is the incident really under control?"

"I only told him that so he'd take it easier," the dean pushed away from his desk. Walking over to a nearby shelf, he picked up a framed photo of His granddaughter and her friends, her arms wrapped around Negi and Asuna.

"I don't like keeping thing from them, especially when they can be of some help. Maybe we should enlist his help on the matter; his partners could come in hand-,"

"No," The dean spoke quickly but calm, "we will no longer endanger our student's lives. They've been through far too much during that ordeal in the magical world, for once I want them to live the life of regular students. I don't want my granddaughter to witness anymore battles."

The professor saw over his shoulder at the photograph, "What if this force is after the students?"

"Then heaven help them," the dean chuckled breaking his somewhat stern moment, "anyone to go up against those girls would either be dumb or suicidal."

Takahata grinned as he snubbed out the cigarette on his heal, "And anyway, it seems whatever is skulking around the shadows is searching for something, whatever it is it's not targeting Negi or his class."

"Takamichi," The Dean had his back turned to the teacher, there was a since of remorse in his tone, "once you identified the bodies, make sure they're giving a proper burial."

Takahata nodded, "Of course," he said as he closed the door behind him. Whoever the two victims were, their deaths weighed heavy on the old man's heart, and the professor knew it.

Elsewhere, Near the world tree…

Negi ran through the campus towards the city, the streets were bare with no other sign of life. Unknown to him, he was being watched from a shaded branch sprouting from the larger than life tree. A feminine figure stood with her back against the bark of the tree, the hem of her black dress flowing in the breeze.

A familiar pair of golden eyes watched as the Mage raced off into the distance. "The boy's quick, too quick to be a normal human," as she zoomed in on the staff secured to his back the girl grinned. "The staff of the thousand master…well this is a interesting place. That could be a tasty trophy for later."

As she eyed Negi's staff, he greed was interrupted by rustling in the branches above her, the rustling sounded more like faint whispers in the wind. The unknown girl looked up as if she could hear something or someone talking to her.

"Don't you think I know that," she replied to the hushed voices, "it's your duty to locate the target so how about you get back to your job before the next one to die will be you," The whispers grew louder with her threat, almost fearful, "If the boy interferes then I'll have no other choice but to slaughter him. But until then my first priority will be the mission, so get back to it!"

As she raised her voice the whispered faded in an instant and the braches became still. The figure looked out at the ground of Mahora. "We took out the only two that could keep me from my goal," she said, a smirk creeping its way onto her mouth as she hissed, "you're as good as mine." She then fell back into the shadows of the tree disappearing in the darkness she did lurk in.

In the city, the shopping district…

"Why won't you fit," Negi groaned as he tried to squeeze into a small green blazer. "This is a size larger than what I'm used to!" His efforts to find a new wardrobe wasn't going as he expected, then again it probably help if he wasn't looking in the juniors section.

"Negi?" A gentle voice called out from behind him, "So what Takamichi told me is the truth." Negi turned around to see the school's nurse standing there trying not to giggle at the humorous sight in front of her.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Shizuna, looks I'm stuck this way for a while," Negi said admitting defeat by letting his arms go limp, "I'm having a rough day."

The blonde let out a titter, "Then it's a good thing I'm here, the Dean had instructed me to help you pick out a new wardrobe," she examined him from head to toe, "and it looks like you need it."

Negi looked at the undersized outfit he was trying to squeeze his new body into. Green pants and jacket over a yellow shirt, the buttons were undone and his pants were unzipped and on the brink of splitting. But all that Negi could say was, "What's wrong with green?"

Shizuna shook her head trying hard not to point out the obvious. "Negi, you're not a kid anymore, so no more buying in the children's department," she took the teen Mages hand with a death grip, while in the other hand holding a gold card. With a devious gleam in her eyes she told him, "I'm am going to introduce you to a little thing we call style."

Suddenly a nervous shiver shot up his spine as the nurse began dragging him through the store with a force that would rival Asuna's shopping might. Negi yelled as he was dragged through the aisles, clothes flying in the air as he was forcefully pulled into the changing room. Ms. Shizuna never let up, from store to store they were a blur, an unstoppable shopping machine.

Somewhere in the third store other shoppers could've sworn they hear a young man screaming "Why can't I catch a break?!"


	3. Chapter 3

After school...

"Negi? Negi, where are you?" The girls were running around the school grounds searching for the missing professor. Asuna was running around like a chicken with her head cut off yelling out his name, "Negi!"

Easy to say all the girls were a little worried so more than others, "Professor Negi?!" Ayaka screamed from a megaphone, "Professor where are yooooou?!" Students passing by flinched as class rep blared her message into their eardrums while her own classmates acted like they didn't know her.

Asuna stopped nearby the world trees bottom stair case, with worry in her eyes she whispered. "Where can he be?" She looked at her surroundings for any sign of older Negi, all she saw was the same crop of students she saw every day, that and the opposite end of Ayaka's megaphone.

"Way to go, Bells," Class rep shouted sending Asuna's pigtails sticking out, "not only did you curse our teacher you made him run away!"

Asuna slapped the bullhorn out of her hand and turned it on her, "I didn't make him run a way!"

Ayaka recovered as she franticly grabbed Asuna by the collar and shook her violently. "What if that spell you put on hit doesn't just stop aging him, what if he's lost somewhere out there as an old man with no memory of whom he is? Dating some old fart might be fine with you but not for me! I don't think I can change adult diapers, Asuna!" The class rep yelled as she let go, leaving the redhead plummeting to the ground.

Her head spinning, Asuna tried to stand but it turned into a balancing act. It was then that the other search parties had come into her shaky view. "Did you…whoa…find anything?" She asked trying to steady herself only to fall 'face first' into the brick.

"No sign of him at the Choa bo Z," said Satsuki replied as Kei Fu tried not to laugh.

"The forest is clear," Kaede said appearing out of nowhere in her ninja style, the twins came running up behind her nearly out of breath.

Yue sighed, "He's not at the library, nor Evangeline's."

"Asuna, I'm getting worried," Konoka said, yanking the girl back to her feat with little to no ease, "if none of us can't find him then no one can." Tears were beginning to well in her eyes as she looked at the dizzy girl pouting.

A white Ermine jumped up on her shoulder softly patting the side of her head. "Hey, you know bro can handle himself," Chamo said trying to comfort her, "so dry those pretty eyes of yours, sugar lips."

"To whom are you looking for, ladies?" A voice called out from atop the steps. The group turned to see the school nurse, and shopping daredevil, walking down the steps from the world tree, over a dozen large bags hung from her fingers.

Konoka sped pass Asuna sending her roommate dropping for a third time. "Ms. Shizuna, we were looking for professor Negi, please tell us you've seen him," she asked, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. We just got back from town," she smiled nonchalantly as looked back up the steps behind her, "see, there he is."

As he walked into sight it was enough to make the girls head's spin no more than Asuna's. Negi came to the top of the steps wearing loose fit Khakis, leather boots, and a black vest over a white t, and he wore them well. He didn't look like the same old fidgety little Negi they use to know, he looked relaxed, he was smiling. "So what do you all think?"

Not a single girl spoke up mostly because they were lost in the beauty that was the new Negi Springfield. It took a few seconds of mindless staring till one of the girls decided to finally breath, Kazumi was able to choke out, "It-It looks nice." Then she accidently hit the button on her camera taking a quick shot without realizing it.

A stream of blood was trickling from the class reps nose. "So hot…," she didn't even care who noticed, though no one else was paying attention to her.

"You're style'n Bro!" Said the white weasel giving his master a fury thumbs up.

"Thanks Chamo," Negi smiled, "Shizuna thought it was time I updated my wardrobe."

"You were shopping all this time?" Asuna shrieked plowing through the rest of the girls. She grabbed Negi by the collar, "You were out shopping while we were searching for your stupid ass?! Not once did you think to leave us a note, we were fricken worried about you!"

Negi just blinked, "Why didn't just try to call me using your pactio card?" He calmly replied holding up his own card.

Ayaka quickly wiped the blood from under her nose and glared daggers at Asuna. "BELLS!"

The red head tried to nervously laugh it off. "I forgot, after what happen can you really blame me?"

"Yes," the girls chorused glaring at her with as much aggravation as the Class Reprehensive. Asuna felt a chill running down her back as the class moved in, it was if she could sense that something bad was about to happen.

Out of nowhere a suave voice broke the crowd's hostile attention. "Looking good Negi," Takahata came to the rescue even if he didn't know it, "I see you're shopping trip was a success."

Negi smiled pulling out his staff from behind his back revealing a cluster of different shopping bags in different shapes and sizes. "I guess we went a little out of hand with the shopping trip. Ms. Shizuna took me from one store to the next. She wanted to make sure I had a decent selection."

A sweat drop slid down his face. "I've been shopping with her myself so I know what you mean," he said trying his hardest to keep his cool with the Blonde-haired woman still in earshot, "We'll see that all your bags are taken to your new room."

In an instant the girls blinked turning all eyes over to the white haired professor. Even Asuna forgot her angry class mates long enough to ask, "Wait, what new room?"

Negi lowered his gaze, "Asuna, there's something I need to tell you," he said looking back over to Takamichi with a sincere miserable look.

Next thing they know, "What, Negi's moving out?" Asuna and Konoka chorused. They had made it back to the dorm just as the last of Negi's things were being loaded onto a handcart. "But why?" Konoka whimpered as she watched Negi head for the door.

"Your current room isn't big enough for the three of you, it's only until we get his current situation taken care of," Takahata said solemnly, "We are having the magical staff look into the situation to see if they can do anything to help."

"I'm sorry girls," Negi turned before leaving, "I'll still see you in class, and we can still spend time together afterward."

Asuna just looked at him. she felt like she was on the brink of tears herself but tried her hardest to suppress them, "Y-yeah…"

Negi held up his hand telling them, "Bye."

"Bye…," Konoka said pitifully, eyes glassed over she waved at him halfheartedly. She kept on until he was out of their sights before she sighed, "Negi's gone…."

"He forgot about me," Chamo added rubbing his head.

The three kept watching the doorway hoping it was just some bad dream, but it wasn't, they stood there in a stupefied state for a few minutes until the dorm shook with a loud, "Boom!"

"What the heck was that?" Asuna exclaimed.

They ran out the door and towards the sound of the explosion till they found themselves at the other end of the dormitory. A trail of smoke was lofting out of Mana and Zazie's dorm room. A gathering of girls surrounded the scene as a disgruntled Mana stood looming over her roommate, holding the circus girl by her tattered uniform.

Mana's eyes were fixated on the wreckage that was once her room while her grip on the clown girl's collar got tighter. Her eye twitching, she growled at Zazie, "What, did, you, do?!"

The girl looked up at her blankly, and with her face covered in ash marks she replied "Juggling."

Mana pulled her up to eye level, "Juggling what?"

"Grenades," she lifted her hand showing that one of the pins was dangling from her finger.

Mana then remembered the set that she had in her bunk, never had anything like this happen to her. She was angry, "My room…," Tatsumiya growled, her hand trembling on her pistol. It took her all her cool to keep her sidearm holstered, '_Just one bullet_,' she thought to herself, '_it would be justified_.'

A hand found its way over her trigger finger keeping her from acting out the vengeful plot stirring in her head. "Calm down, Mana," Takahata came just in time to separate the two girls, "most of your things survived, the blast was at the opposite end of the room, and your gear is still intact."

Mana turned her glare over to the professor, "But what about our living arrangements?"

"We'll just have relocate you to a non…blown up room," the professor said, a drop of sweat on his brow as he slowly took his hand off of hers.

"Professor I have a request," Mana said sliding her gun back into the holster, "I ask that you don't pair me and Zazie in a room together, I would like to prevent further mishaps."

"Maybe you shouldn't stock up such dangerous explosives," Chisame said passing earning her a glimpse of Mana's demon eye and sending fear back into the hacker's smug expression.

Takahata sighed, "Well you see we have only one room available but if you're that set on separating from Ms. Rainyday, then there is one idea I can think of, room with someone else. But everyone seems content with their current roommates"

He crossed his arms trying to think of another solution that wouldn't get him or the dazed clown girl shot. Finally rubbing his chin he whispered, "There is another way."

"Professor, please," Mana begged, "anything."

Surrendering, the professor gave the girl a key with a card attached to it. "We just had to relocate another to this room, but they're the only one living there at the moment. You can room with them until your dorm is fixed or if you find someone willing to trade with you. After seeing the result of Ms. Rainyday's juggling mishap I don't think pairing her with this room would be wise."

Mana looked down at her new key wondering by the Professors hint, "Who lives there already?"


	4. Chapter 4

Negi had just sat down in his new room as the sun started to set; the view was amazing from where he was. From his couch he could see the world tree off in the distance and the sun slowly setting behind it. Since the beginning of his day he didn't feel more at ease then that moment. Between being changed into a teenager and having to move he didn't think there would be anything else left that would surprise him.

"Professor Negi?" A gentle voice said.

Negi turned to the door way, "Mana…," seeing his student there he jumped to his feet, "What are you doing in my room?"

Mana held up her key, "Um…I live here." Her face reddened as she took in the now grownup Mage's body.

Negi's eyes widened just enough to notice the stack of luggage in the hall behind her, she was not kidding. The professor scratched his head, at a loss for words he began to panic. "If you want I can find some other place to-,"

"There is no other," she blushed interrupting, "and Zazie blew up my old room."

Negi thought that it wasn't that hard to believe concerning his students backgrounds, what surprised him was that it didn't happen sooner. Still he had to deal with the matter at hand, seeing that Tatsumiya was without a place to stay, "Then…do you mind us rooming together?" he asked and somehow the question surprised him.

"Not if you don't," she smiled.

"Look's like were roommates then," Negi welcomed her in by helping her with her baggage, and while brushing pass he couldn't help but take in her sweet scent. The lofting aroma of Cherry Chap Stick with a slight hint of gun powder was intoxicating. Just then Negi blushed as he realized he was checking out his student, quickly he thought of something. "So which bunk would you like?" he asked, feeling the heat from his face radiate off of him. "Are you hungry, I can cook us something?"

The question almost passed her up, as Negi walked by lugging her gear Mana couldn't resist eyeing his physique, quickly she shook back to reality to reply, "I didn't know you can cook," while casually eyeing his back side.

"My sister taught me," Negi hurried into the kitchen, "I haven't cooked for a while since I lived with Asuna, though now that I think about it I should've, it would've saved us a few burns." He quickly opened up the freezer door hoping that it could cool him off, after a few seconds he found Mana walking into the kitchen behind him.

She picked up a new cook book from over the counter and held it over her heart. Unintentionally she cooed, "How about we cook dinner together." The look in her eyes was too hard to deny.

Negi gave in, "All right then, what would you feel like?"

The wizard couldn't explain it, just in that little time he was already living with someone and he didn't feel so out of the place as when he first lived with Asuna, could it be Mana? They talked why preparing Dinner, Negi was surprised, it was the longest conversation he'd ever have with the tanned beauty. What surprised him more is that he couldn't take his eyes off of her, Besides Mana's newly found personality, she looked different in his eyes, "_has she always been this radiant?_" he thought as they set the table.

Negi wasn't the only one to have such thoughts, anytime he'd passed, Mana felt herself looking back at her teachers features, "_I can't believe how much he's changed_," she thought to herself, "_he's not a fidgety as before and-," _she paused as she eyed Negi's back side as he bent over to get something in the cabinet's, "-_why am I having such thoughts?_" she blushed.

Exiting the kitchen Negi looked over to see Mana already sitting at the table, she was trying her hardest not to look over in his direction afraid that she might get more unusual thoughts, but that didn't keep her teacher from noticing her. She was sitting with her long legs crossed her foot gently swaying side to side as she waited for him to sit. Her face had a subtle red tint in her cheeks, nervously she smiled as she turned to see him standing there with the same expression on his own face. Instead of either of them trying to come up with some sort of explanation, they both laughed it off.

After an enjoyable meal they continued to sit across each other exchanging small talk and tales from their adventures, it was if they were old friends who hadn't seen the other in such a long time and who were catching up. "I have to say, it's nice to have a roommate that talk's back," Mana commented, whatever anger she had suppressed from that day had long since vanished.

"It's just nice to hear you talk," Negi replied jokingly. He saw Mana coyly divert her eyes, quickly he changed the subject, "Do you need help unpacking?" he hurried over to her bunk and picked up her duffle causing the contents to spill out on her bed, "I'm so sorry," he apologized trying to gather everything.

As he reached for one of her discarded books he was stopped by her hand over his, "It's okay," she said tenderly, "nothings broken." They picked up the book together, hands still touching. Out of the corner of their eye they saw a white card facing the two of them. It was her Pactio card.

Negi watched as her gaze softened, he remembered the story she told him, who it was that made the contract with her and how important he was to her. He knew deep down that she would always harbor deeper feelings for him. "It's hard to let go, isn't," Negi asked massaging the back of her fingers with his thumb.

She nodded, "It is, but I strive to go on."

"By yourself?" He asked, a little disappointed.

Mana looked at the concern in his eyes, "Is that so wrong?"

"No it's just-," Negi hesitated, her stare pulling him in"-it's so sad, to be alone for the rest of your life." He grinned bashfully, "I don't know why it's been hanging over my head lately but I know that I'd at least like to be with someone down the road, and share my life with them. It's kinda sappy but one day I hope to have a family of my own."

"I don't think it's sappy," Mana blushed, "I kinda wondered…what it would be like to be in love."

Negi's heart skipped a beat, "Wh-what about you and the captain of your biathlon club?" He remembered her mentioning him before and thought she had lingering feelings for him.

"He tried to confess that he liked me," Mana calmly stated.

A slight jealous sensation overcame Negi as he asked, "And what did you do?"

"I shot him."

"What?!" Negi yelped, eyes bulging.

Seeing the priceless expression on his face, Mana couldn't help but laugh, "It was just a rubber bullet," she said calming down. She saw that he staring at her, face all flushed and with an endearing smile. "What is it?" She asked, questioning his sudden expression.

"It's rare to see you smile, let alone laugh, you have a beautiful laugh." Negi arched his brow, teasingly he asked, "You won't shoot me for saying that, will you?"

Teasing him back she held patted her holster playfully grinning, "Let's talk desert, then we'll see where it goes from there."Negi didn't need to be asked twice, but as he got up to go into the kitchen he stopped.

"Negi, do you feel that?" Mana asked clutching her pistol.

Negi held out his hand summoning his staff, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Mana bolted for the window and leapt out into the night with Negi following closely behind. They landed with ease before sprinting towards the forests, Negi marveled at Mana's speed. The two sprung into a clearing when an ominous shadow brought them to a stop.

A large black figure slithered through the trees charging the teens, as it burst into the clearing Negi and Mana jumped dodging its fangs. "A snake demon?" Negi exclaimed. The Cobra like behemoth turned around letting out a loud hiss, "watch out!" Negi tackled Mana out of the way of a stream of acid venom.

"Thank's," Mana panted, "I don't have the weapon to take this thing down," she fired six shots into the eye's of the massive snake, "but he can't catch what he can't see." Negi and her smirked as both of them sprung up delivering a kick to the reptiles chin sending it flying on its back.

"Mana, get back!" Negi shouted, he held out his staff in front of him, "_Unus Fulgor Concidens," he chanted, "Noctem, in Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat! Fulguratio Albicans!_" Negi flew his head back just as dozens of lightning bolts came down on the serpent annihilating it.

When the smoke clear Mana and Negi stood speechless, "That was-," Mana breathed.

"-I haven't used that one for a while…I guess I don't know my own strength." Negi said shakily, what he did was just short of over kill.

They approached the crater where the snake once was, amazed Mana looked down into the hole, "It's gone now, but what was it doing here?"

"We'll tell the Dean the morning, until then we should just go back to the room," Negi waved his staff closing the hole, "We make too much noise then we'll wake everyone, and Asuna isn't fun to deal with in the mornings." Mana didn't complain, together they walked home neither of them feeling a set of eyes watching them from the darkness of the woods.

"So, the boy killed my pet," the same shadow girl stepped onto the battlefield and into the moon light, her black dress flowing gracefully in the breeze, long silver like hair reaching down pass her back. She sneered, "I'll need to send him a little warning."

Out of the shrubbery a group of other worldly spiders climbed up her tanned leg, she held out her arm bringing one of them to her face. "What did you bring me my servant?" The bug held a strand of Black hair in its pinchers. The girl waved it under her nose taking it the scent, "The Scent of Demon Folk… but it's week." She turned up her nose in disgust, "A half blood, an abomination!" In a fit of anger she snatched the spider up in her hand and squashed it, "If there is one thing I can't stand, it's one that mixes with such filth! My other pets will deal with the boy, the honor of cleansing this world of that disgrace will be mine."

Her yellow eye gleamed in the moonlight, a despicable grin growing as a plan came into thought. "But why do I have to kill her right now, I should have a little fun with her first." She held up her hand cleaning her palm of the insect guts, "I will tear her apart from the inside out, beginning with her heart, more precisely her feelings, her love of that boy!"

The shadows began to dance until they silhouettes of the trees converged over her, melting down into the darkness she laughed, "first I will shatter her hear and then I'll shatter her spine!" Her laughter echoed out as she vanished into the dark, disappearing to only she knows where.


	5. Chapter 5

"Where…," Mana was in and endless void, black nothingness surrounded her from all over, there was no ground, no sky, not a single sign of life or anything besides. She looked lost, confused, the last thing she remembered was, "Negi…," she stepped forward searching for the Teen Wizard, "Negi?" She yelled out, but just as her surroundings there was only nothing.

"A dream…," she breathed, "this has to be a dream."

"You could say that," A voiced echoed throughout the void, "but if it's a dream why are you looking for your professor?" Lowering her gaze she saw her own reflection stretched out in front of her, but only one difference, she wasn't smiling.

"Who are you?" Mana asked, her double didn't mimic, instead it touched down on the surface separating them and created a ripple. From the wrinkle the doppelganger rose up in front of the original Mana, her sly grin still firm on her face. Both Mana's quickly drew their guns in sync with the other, their pistols aimed steady without any sign of falter.

The clone snickered under her breath, "I know your good but do you think you're good enough to out shoot yourself?" Without flinching they shot simultaneously, five shots, each round colliding with the opposite, "Told you."

Mana holstered her weapon making the copy do the same, she sneered, "What are you?

The clone grinned devishly, "What, can't recognize yourself?" Mana intensified her glare, "Stern as ever, but for how long?"

"What do you mean?" Mana Asked.

Finally the clones smile faded, "I mean you and the Professor, you are opening yourself up to him."

"So?"

"Don't be clueless, you know just as I do that we can't falter, we must remain sharp and that means not letting your emotions get the best of you," clone turned her back towards the original, "stop flirting with Negi, it can never be."

Mana's eyes widened, "I don't know what you're-,"

"Stop lying to yourself," exclaimed the copy, "you've been sneaking a peak at the posterior every chance you got, And that smile, how much you love it. You're developing feelings for him, pathetic."

Her expression softening, Mana asked, "Why is it so wrong to like someone?"

The doppelganger looked back quickly pulling a gun on the original, "Liking someone is one thing, but acting them out is another it's making you pathetic. You know you could never indulge in the luxury that is love, you even said it yourself said it to him," she lowered her gun, her finger still on the trigger, "_There's no room for men on my battlefield_."

Mana's own words echoed through her mind, a look of dismay overtaking her she turned away at her twin in thought. "Why do I have to fight alone?" She asked herself. "Why must I always be a soldier?"

"Stop, you can't be thinking these things, he's your teacher and-," but Mana wasn't listening.

"Is a life were you constantly fight a life worth living?"

"You know the other reason that it could never be, this is why!" the copy sent a wave of energy bursting forth, her hair turned flowing white and an unnatural mist flowed from out her eye. "You can never forget that half of that blood running through your veins is that of Demon folk, you know how it makes you feel, makes you act. You're nothing but a mercenary, a soldier for hire, he'd never want someone like you. That mage is all about helping people, you only help if it helps your bank account."

"That's not true," Mana yelled.

"Name a time when you offered your services for free," She waited only a few seconds for an answer, her demon eye seeing the truth, "You're a hired gun, he's a hero; they don't mix well."

Mana felt the sting of her own words as she pulled her gun from her holster. She held the weapon in her hands just looking down at it, asking herself, "Am I suppose to live alone all of my life?"

"Those are his words, not yours," she scowled.

The original stared down her twin sneering, "What if I want them to be mine? What if I want a change?" She dropped the gun at her feet and turned away, "I will not let the gun dominate my life, and I won't let a figment twist my thoughts. I am done with this."

"Then all I can say is watch your back, and your heart," The copy warned as she slid her finger over the trigger, "you'd never know when you'd find a bullet in them."

Mana awoke with the roar of the pistol ringing in her memory. The debate she had with herself being just a vivid dream, a realistic nightmare as it seemed. She looked up at the bunk above her waiting for the silence of the room ease her mind, but all she could do was think of who occupied that bed. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead trying to ease back into her mellow self, lowering her hand back to her side she pumped it against something.

She turned to see the sleeping form of her teacher lying next to her in her bed. Holding back the urge to wake him she continued to stare at the sleeping professor. _I remember Asuna mentioning him doing this, he sleepwalks…, _she thought quietly.

Even in his teenage form he still had a sense of innocence, but that's not what she was fixated on, it was how close they were together. With less an inch separating them, she could feel the heat from his body, she could even pick up the scent of his shampoo.

Negi began to stir making Mana's heart beat rapidly as his hand found its way over to hers. Mana's face grew red hearing him say her name, "Mana…," he whispered tenderly, his fingers unknowingly braded with hers.

Mana didn't resist, she held onto his hand letting an adoring smile creep onto her face. With her hand in his any unnerving feelings her dream had caused disappeared. For the time being she allowed him to share her bed, her thoughts echoing what she felt, _I want this…_ Letting her eye lids drift shut, Mana gave in to the fatigue, that night the dream didn't return.

The next morning…

"Mana…," Negi slowly came too to see the vision of loveliness nestled against him. She was sound asleep with her forehead pressed softly against his. With a tired smile the Mage closed his eyes. That lasted a good second, before **_what?!_** Negi's eyes shot open wider than before. **_Why am I in Mana's bed? _**, screamed in his head.

The warmth from his face radiated off him like crazy as he scanned down at her form. Her top was unbuttoned showing a great amount of cleavage and all of it was pressing against him. "M-Mana…," Negi sputtered nervously, gawking uncontrollably at the twin mounds pressing against his chest.

"What…," she woke up to see the red-faced Englishman was closer to her than before. Their mouths hung open as she followed his stared down to her… "Crap!" she exclaimed pulling her hand free to close her top leaving Negi to tumble out of bed. **_How did he unbutton my shirt without me knowing?_**

Negi shot up on his feat bowing repeatedly, "I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell you I was a sleep walk-," on the seventh bow his shorts slid down to his ankles, Negi froze in mid bow. The both of them looked down at where Negi's khaki shorts laid and followed them up to a pair tighty-whities.

Mana blushed by not as red as Negi's face was, "Oh man!" he shot down picking up his pants. **_What happen to my shorts? _**He examined the pair to find that the button was missing and the zipper had been pulled to its lowest, too low to have been done by accident. It was that time that Mana felt the missing button in her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Mana," Mana hid the button behind her back as Negi turned his sights back to her, "this was not a good start to our first morning together," he sighed already stressed out for the day, "I'd understand if you'd like me to transfer into another room."

Mana looked at the state they were in and she couldn't help but laugh, she wasn't that embarrassed. "It's okay, Professor," she snickered, "I woke up in the middle of the night and found you laying next to me. Asuna told me about the whole sleep walking thing. You weren't bothering me so I didn't disturb you." Her cheeks slightly reddened, she knowingly withheld the parts about him saying her name or the hand holding.

For one reason or another her sincere smile soothed Negi's rapidly thumping heart, though it picked up a little when he watched her climb out of bed to stand in front of him. "This just made things a little more interesting so don't plan to move out just yet," she looked at him with her amber colored eyes, "I like you…being here."

Negi slowly nodded, "O…K…" watching as she slowly headed into the kitchen. He couldn't get the sight of her in that night shirt out of his head.

Mana came back out with two glasses of juice handing him one of the drinks she smiled, "I was thinking since it's the weekend, we could go out to breakfast this morning," she looking at him while taking a sip, her eyes seemed to glisten in the morning light.

Bringing the glass to his lips he could only say what he was thinking as he looked at her, "Perfect."

Later that day…

"What, Mana and Negi are living together now?!" The girls of class 3-A chorused, Negi's partners sat stunned in front of the Mahora café, the utter shock came from the news that Konoka had just relayed.

She calmly ignored the wild expressions as she reinsured them, "Grandpa told me just this morning, Zazie blew up their room and Mana moved in with Negi."

Chamo rubbed his furry chin thinking the most perverted, he chuckled, "Bro's a lucky man to be roomed with the class hottie," before he could fathom another dirty though he was being choked out "Animal abuse!"

"Die, rat boy!" Asuna hissed, flames flowing from her eyes as she tightened her grip on the lecherous rodent.

"I cannot accept this, I will not allow this!" Ayaka yelled, attracting stares from passersby, "I have requested more than once that Negi rooms with me, this isn't fair!"

"You don't have a choice," Konoka deadpanned, "Grandpa already gave his approval."

"Damn that old man…," Ayaka growled, her teeth grinding in anger.

"This is not good," Haruna exclaimed, "what if Mana is attracted by Negi's new bod, a girl like her could have any one she wanted, what if she-,"

"No, don't you dare say that," Class rep yelled, "My Professor Negi is not going to fall for that gun crazed chicks charms!"

"If she even has charms, I barely see her with anyone," Haruna snorted.

"I remember them talking together at the festival, they looked pretty close there," Misora mentioned at the next table, she had been listening to her classmates ramble on the entire time.

"Close?!" Ayaka and Haruna yelped in unison. The look on their faces was enough to feed Misora's mischievous plan.

"Now I remember, I was in shock because it was the first time I see Mana smile, guess it was something that Negi did," she turned away hiding her impish smile, "boy, did they look happy."

Red-faced, Haruna stammered, "Sm-smiling at Negi?!" She turned to the class rep who was suddenly standing behind an unconscious Misora Kasuga holding a folding chair, a large bump sprouting off the top of her head.

Ayaka was panting heavily as she threw the chair behind her knocking out some unlucky student. She held up her fist declaring, "Mana Tatsumiya you will not take my beloved away from me! I will not stop until I win the gorgeous Negi's heart!" Grabbing Haruna she bolted off leaving the other bewildered girls behind.

Konoka watched as in a blink of an eye they were gone before turning her sight back on her best friend, only to see Asuna still mangling the Ermine. She sighed as she hung her head, "I'm starting to miss the pedophile jokes."


End file.
